First-ever Young Women Researcher Awards ceremony brings top female scientists in the region together for honors

Singapore, 14 December 2009 – Elsevier announced today the winners of the Asian Young Women Researcher Awards, a joint development between its flagship product Scopus®, the world’s largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature and the Third World Organisation for Women in Science (TWOWS) and TWAS, the academy of sciences for the developing world.

The awards, first of its kind in Asia, were developed out of a need to nurture women researchers as they move through their career. The ceremony which took place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 9 November 2009, presented awards in four major fields of research: Life Sciences, Medicine, Engineering and Technology and Agricultural Sciences.

Subject Category

Ranked

Name

Institutional Affiliation

Life Sciences

Winner

Dr. Le thi Quynh Mai

National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Vietnam

Winner

Dr. Maria Corazon Abogado De Ungria

Natural Sciences Research Institute, University of the Philippines, Philippines

Scopus’ citation data and h-index was used to provide an objective and transparent measure of each applicant’s research performance. All partners, TWOWS, TWAS and Elsevier believe that these awards will set an example and spur competition and collaboration among leaders in research, particularly young women researchers within the region and at the global level.

“We are pleased and honored that Elsevier is our partner in this award event, The event is part of our strategy to provide incentives and recognize the contribution of young Asian women in the pursuit of research excellence providing solutions to the region’s problems,” said Prof Dr. Farida Shah, Chair of organizing committee of the Young Women Researcher Award and Fellow of TWAS. “We hope that this can be incorporated as an annual event. “

“We are proud to be a part of this honor. Supporting and advancing women in science is also major objective of the Elsevier Foundation's New Scholars program and the Young Women Researcher Awards in Asia supports this critical pledge, said Inn Beng Lee, Head Customer Engagement and Development (APAC) Elsevier Science & Technology. “Each award recipient carries and exemplifies the goals of the participating organizations to elevate research excellence.”

In addition to the 2009 Scopus Young Women Researcher in Asia award, the Elsevier Foundation recently announced a $72,320 grant to broaden the 2010 reach of TWOWS’ Women Scientists in the Developing World Awards. The Elsevier Foundation New Scholar’s program supports women scholars during the early stages of their demanding careers in science and technology. The New Scholars grant adds discipline-specific prizes to TWOWS’ existing 2010 awards for one young woman scientist in each of the four regions of the developing world (Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Middle East). A total of three $5,000 prizes per region in biological sciences, chemical sciences, and the physical and mathematical sciences will ensure that talented young women scientists in developing countries are recognized for excellence within their own disciplines.

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About TWASTWAS, the academy of sciences for the developing world is an autonomous international organization, based in Trieste, Italy, that promotes scientific excellence for sustainable development in the South. Originally named "Third World Academy of Sciences", it was founded in 1983 by a distinguished group of scientists from the South under the leadership of the late Nobel laureate Abdus Salam of Pakistan. The Academy's strength resides in the quality and diversity of its membership – internationally renowned scientists elected by their peers.

About TWOWSThe Third World Organization for Women in Science (TWOWS) is an international sister organization of TWAS headed by eminent women scientists from the south, consisting of more than 3,000 members. The central role is to promote women’s access to science and technology, enhancing their greater involvement in the decision-making processes for the development of their countries and in the international scientific community. Created in 1989, TWOWS’ overall goal is to work towards bridging the gender gap in science and technology. TWOWS uses its forum for intellectual discussions to assist in the development of national capabilities to evolve, explore and improve strategies for increasing female participation in science.

About National Science Centre (NSC)Pusat Sains Negara (The National Science Centre) plays an important role as a non-formal learning institution to connect the science and technology (S&T) as well as the scientific community to the public through various approaches. In an effort to promote S&T in the life of the public, various methods of scientific communication were carried out. Some of the are bringing about various S&T programs that are suitable for every target group, themed exhibitions of current issues in S&T, the exhibition galleries (indoor & outdoor), out-reach programs, establishment of new chapter, as well as S&T cooperation with various parties (government agencies, NGOs, private sectors and international organizations).

About ScopusCovering the world’s research literature, Scopus is the largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature and quality Web sources with smart tools to track analyze and visualize research. Scopus was designed and developed with over 500 users and librarians internationally. Its unique database contains abstracts and references from nearly 18,000 titles from more than 5,000 international publishers, ensuring broad interdisciplinary coverage. In addition, Scopus not only offers users citation information about the articles covered, but also directly integrates Web and patent searches. Direct links to full-text articles, library resources and other applications like reference management software, make Scopus quicker, easier and more comprehensive to use than any other literature research tool. For more information about Scopus please visit www.info.scopus.com.

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